I have started a career as software engineer and I just got promoted to management. I am deeply enthusiastic about it and I am very determined to move to upper management during the next 10 years. But it seems that there is a lot more middle managers than directors, vice-presidents and executives; and not only in the software industry, but every industry. So I feel that this move will be extremely challenging. I met middle managers from different industries, aged from 30 to 40 years old, who claimed they weren't learning anything new...
In order to make this move: is a MBA or executive MBA required? Would you advise to work 1 or 2 years at consulting companies like McKinsey? What are the hard and soft skills required and how to acquire them? How and what to keep learning after 30 years old? And what do you need specifically to make this move in the software industry?